Scottish Executive

Access for Disabled People

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are derogations from the requirement to provide access for disabled people in buildings to which the public have access and, if so, what these derogations are.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires that, from October 2004, service providers may have to make reasonable adjustments in relation to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.

  In Scotland, all new buildings to which the public has access must be provided with access and facilities for disabled people. The Technical Standards for compliance with the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990 allow several derogations, the principal being to storeys other than the principal entrance storey. Access need not be provided for people in a wheelchair to storeys where the area is not more than 200 square metres for a building more than two storeys or 280 square metres for a building not more than two storeys. Stairs to those areas, however, must still be suitable for ambulant disabled people.

Agriculture

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure tenancies there are in the agriculture sector and how many such tenancies have become available in each of the last 10 years.

Ross Finnie: There were estimated to be around 14,000 full tenancy agreements active in Scotland in 2001. The Executive does not hold information which breaks this figure down further by type of tenancy. Nor do we collect information about the number of new tenancy agreements that are concluded each year.

  However, Land Tenure Patterns in Scotland, published in 1995 by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, provides some indications of the number and nature of tenancies entered into in recent years.

Best Value

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many representatives of the voluntary sector and private sector are members of the Best Value task force.

Peter Peacock: The Best Value task force was set up to provide guidance for local authorities in the operation of their new statutory duties under the Local Government in Scotland Bill. It consists mainly of local authority representatives, but also representatives of the Scottish Trades Union Congress and the Scottish Consumer Council.

  The Scottish Executive has been careful to consult directly representatives of the voluntary sector and private sector about the provisions of the bill and will continue to consider their interests in its engagement with the task force.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers are currently available to local authorities to make compulsory purchase orders.

Hugh Henry: Local authority compulsory purchase powers are contained in the following general Acts of Parliament:

  Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947

  Education (Scotland) 1980

  Housing (Scotland) Act 1987

  Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997

  Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978

  Roads (Scotland) Act 1984

  Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

  Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

Courts

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22602 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 February 2002, how many High Court cases in (a) Scotland and (b) each court have been postponed on the day of commencement due to technicalities or other reasons and what the estimated cost was resulting from such postponements in each case in (i) 2001-02 and (ii) 2002-03 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: As I explained in the answer given to question S1W-22602 on 14 February 2002, the information is not available in the form requested. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search . Postponement of cases in the High Court is a statutory procedure which takes place before the start of a trial and no statistics of such postponements are collected. However, the following table sets out the number of indictments registered in the High Court for 2001-02 and 2002 to 31 August 2002, the number of cases which had a plea of guilty tendered before evidence was commenced, the number of cases which proceeded to have evidence led, and the balance of cases which did not proceed either prior to, or on the day of trial, for a variety of reasons. These reasons may include cases not proceeding due to witness unavailability, not called in court or deserted by the Crown, or cases where a warrant is issued for the accused among other things.

  No information on the costs of postponements is collected.

  
 
High Court  2001-02
2002 (to 31 August) 
Indictments registered 1,489
547  Guilty plea 
entered 680
271  Evidence-led 
trials 397
186  Balance of 
cases 412
90

Courts

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the cost of civil court business, including judicial costs, was recovered by the Scottish Court Service through fees in each financial year since 1998-99.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is contained in the following table. The cost estimates for 2000-01 were affected by changes in the capital charges applying to the Scottish Court Service. The allocation of these charges was the subject of review and adjustments made in 2001-02. The basis of cost allocation is audited by external auditors annually.

  
 Year Fees 
Recovered(£000) Appropriate 
Share of Cost(£000) Percentage 
of Cost Recovered in Fees  1998-99
£13,631 £18,483
74%  1999-2000
£14,417 £18,465
78%  2000-01
£14,053 £21,073
67%  2001-02
£14,370 £18,652
77%

Crime

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will reduce instances of violent crime.

Dr Richard Simpson: We have introduced a wide range of measures to make Scotland safer and the people of Scotland feel safer. Measures we have or are taking to specifically combat the many forms of violence which occur in our communities include:

  To reduce domestic abuse we are raising awareness through our advertising campaign, increasing protection with the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 and providing £12 million to increase refuge provision to enable women to escape their abuser and prevent repeat victimisation.

  The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill will introduce a package of measures to enhance the assessment and control of offenders who commit serious violent, sexual or life endangering offences.

  We introduced the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme which will provide local authority-led partnerships with £12 million over the next three years for crime prevention and community safety initiatives. Prior to this we provided challenge competition funding of £10.3 million to 161 CCTV projects to make communities safer in Scotland.

  We have also set targets in association with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland for a reduction of 5% in the number of recorded incidents of serious violent crime and a 4% increase in the detection rate of such crimes (these targets are derived from a three-year average 1997-2000).

Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons were proceeded against under section 142 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 in each of the last five years, broken down by age and sheriff court district.

Mr Jim Wallace: Proceedings under section 142 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 cannot be separately identified in the data held centrally.

Drug Misuse

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any target for increasing the value of drugs seizures.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has no such target. However, we have set the Scottish Police Service a national target to increase the number of drug seizures by 25% by 2004 and this target will shortly be extended to 2006. And, among the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency’s (SDEA) targets, is one to increase the weight of Class A drugs seized. In 2001-02, SDEA-led operations, joint action or assistance given to Scottish forces resulted in the seizure of 205.3kgs of Class A drugs, worth an estimated £14.3 million.

Drug Misuse

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any target for increasing the weight of drugs seizures.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has no such target. However, we have set the Scottish Police Service a national target to increase the number of drug seizures by 25% by 2004 and this target will shortly be extended to 2006. And the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) has a target to increase the weight of Class A drugs seized in SDEA-led operations, joint action or through assistance given to Scottish forces by 5% in 2002-03, compared to the 205.3kgs seized in this way in 2001-02.

Drug Misuse

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to improve drug misuse services.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive's Drugs Strategy, Tackling Drugs in Scotland - Action in Partnership , is backed by around £130 million in new resources over the three years from 2001-02 to 2003-04. Examples of measures supported by these resources include £33.5 million to NHS boards and local authorities to support new and improved drug treatment and rehabilitation services; £20 million (mostly through the Changing Children's Services Fund) to support young people and families; £10 million to support drugs services in prisons, and £11.7 million for services linked to criminal justice interventions such as drug testing and treatment orders and drugs courts.

  Delivery of the strategy falls largely to Scotland's 22 drug action teams (DATs). It is for DATs, and their constituent agencies, to decide priorities and use the resources to design and implement services tailored to meet local needs, engaging their communities in the process. The Executive's Effective Interventions Unit has recently published Integrated Care for Drug Users, which sets out a framework to assist DATs and partner agencies in the planning, design and delivery of integrated care for drug users. It also provides information and support to service providers, managers and practitioners who are delivering services to people with drug problems.

Drug Misuse

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences under sections (a) 3(1), (b) 4(1) and (c) 5(3) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 the police have recorded in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Mr Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally can not identify individual sections of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The most detailed crime categories available are shown in the table. These contain crimes recorded under various statutes and several different sections of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

  Crimes Recorded by the Police by Council Area, Scotland, 1999-2001

  
 Council Area
Illegal Importation of Drugs
Production, Manufacture or Cultivation of Drugs
Supply, Possession with Intent to Supply of Drugs
  1999
2000 2001
1999 2000
2001 1999
2000 2001
 Scotland
14 1
4 140
115 137
8,514 8,645
10,152  Aberdeen 
City 0
0 0
2 0
1 446
402 435
 Aberdeenshire
0 0
0 7
4 1
161 152
201  Angus
2 0
0 3
1 0
109 80
102  Argyll and 
Bute 0
0 0
3 12
3 64
79 56
 Clackmannanshire
0 0
0 0
1 0
68 68
101  Dumfries and 
Galloway 0
0 0
3 4
1 302
215 280
 Dundee City
0 0
0 4
2 3
144 188
237  East Ayrshire
0 0
0 3
0 3
186 227
264  East Dunbartonshire
0 0
0 1
1 1
68 83
99  East Lothian
0 0
0 1
1 0
48 99
56  East Renfrewshire
0 0
1 1
2 0
60 110
63  Edinburgh, 
City of 0
1 3
20 23
17 930
824 1,111
 Eilean Siar
0 0
0 0
0 1
7 10
33  Falkirk
0 0
0 1
1 0
194 217
290  Fife
0 0
0 20
13 23
439 448
623  Glasgow City
5 0
0 12
14 22
2,104 2,408
2,449  Highland
1 0
0 17
7 4
323 154
280  Inverclyde
3 0
0 1
0 1
228 266
331  Midlothian
0 0
0 2
3 4
64 77
110  Moray
0 0
0 3
0 1
45 71
53  North Ayrshire
0 0
0 1
4 4
124 197
202  North Lanarkshire
1 0
0 1
3 3
561 449
461  Orkney
0 0
0 0
0 2
12 4
6  Perth and Kinross
0 0
0 5
1 3
291 255
253  Renfrewshire
0 0
0 1
1 8
371 351
344  Scottish Borders
0 0
0 11
4 7
208 239
221  Shetland
0 0
0 1
0 0
17 26
37  South Ayrshire
0 0
0 5
0 9
141 81
251  South Lanarkshire
2 0
0 4
8 2
334 267
291  Stirling
0 0
0 1
0 5
108 124
305  West Dunbartonshire
0 0
0 0
2 1
113 183
200  West Lothian
0 0
0 6
3 7
244 291
407

Environment

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to introduce a levy on plastic shopping bags.

Ross Finnie: The introduction of a levy on plastic shopping bags would be a reserved matter for HM Treasury.

Ferry Services

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any confirmation that employment and accrued entitlements will be protected by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on transfer of the Northern Isles ferry service to Northlink ferries will be given before the workforce is transferred.

Lewis Macdonald: While P&O Scottish Ferries have taken the view that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE) applies, Northlink have taken the view that it does not. It is not possible to indicate conclusively before a transfer takes place whether or not the regulations will apply. TUPE is a matter of law and only the courts can determine whether TUPE does or does not apply.

Fisheries

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmed salmon have been slaughtered as a result of designated area orders relating to infectious pancreatic necrosis in each year since 1998.

Allan Wilson: None. There is no requirement to slaughter fish infected with infectious pancreatic necrosis under the terms of a designated area order (DAO). DAOs limit the spread of disease by prohibiting the movement of live fish or eggs of fish, on or off a fish farm, without the permission of Scottish ministers.

Flood Prevention

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to increase spending on flood prevention following the press statement of 26 September 2002 by the Association of British Insurers on flood insurance for homeowners.

Allan Wilson: The Spending Proposals for years 2003-04 to 2005-06 announced by the Executive on 12 September already include for substantially increased spending on flood prevention. Although the Association of British Insurer's press statement of 26 September will not lead to the Spending Proposals being amended, we are liasing with them about implications of their statement for Scotland.

Further and Higher Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the 2002-03 unit cost paid by the (a) Scottish Further Education Funding Council and (b) Scottish Higher Education Funding Council is for a single place for a student on a (i) PGCE and (ii) BEd Primary Course.

Iain Gray: The allocation of resources to individual further education colleges and higher education institutions is a matter for the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education.

  Teacher training courses are offered by higher education institutions and are therefore funded through the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC).

  SHEFC allocates a Unit of Teaching Resource by Funding Subject Group. Teacher training courses are funded within the education subject group. In 2002-03 this unit of teaching resource is:

  (i) £4,768 for taught postgraduate places (including PGCE), and

  (ii) £4,951 for undergraduate courses (including BEd Primary).

  Full details of SHEFC’s allocations to higher education institutions can be found in its main grant letter. This can be found on the SHEFC website at:

  http://www.shefc.ac.uk/content/library/circs/02/he1502/Mainletter.htm.

Health Promotion

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its £1.5 million campaign to tackle drinking and smoking has been a success, given the 35% rise in binge drinking in the 16-24 age group in the Highlands identified in the lifestyle survey conducted by Highland NHS Board.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The How Much is Too Much? campaign targets male and female binge drinkers. Campaigns tackling smoking are undertaken by the Health Education Board for Scotland. Evaluation of the national How Much is Too Much? advertising found that it was relevant, distinctive and memorable. The campaign will be evaluated locally over a longer period. Shifting attitudes and behaviour cannot be achieved overnight and changing Scotland's binge drinking culture will require a sustained mix of national and local activities spread over a period of years.

Health Promotion

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to tackle the rise in obesity in the Highlands, given the lifestyle survey conducted by Highland NHS Board which stated that 52% of adults fell into the obese/overweight category, an increase of 6% since 1996 and 11% since 1991.

Malcolm Chisholm: Two of the key contributors to obesity are poor diet and lack of physical activity.

  This year Highland NHS Board launched an initiative called Eating Well, Stay Well which aims to address some of the issues of food access and availability and specifically focuses on behaviour which impacts on obesity. To tackle poor diet, on a national level, the implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan is being pursued in a renewed and focused effort to meet the dietary targets set for 2005. A National Healthy Eating Campaign will be launched early next year with the objective of increasing consumer demand for healthier food and advertising a call centre providing practical advice to individuals and families seeking to make changes to their diet.

  The Highland Sports Strategy (2000) is driving the promotion of opportunities for physical activity, including the Highland Cycling Strategy, developing Safer Routes to Schools projects and Walking the Way to Health initiatives. At a national level the Physical Activity Task Force, set up in June 2001, has recently published a draft strategy for consultation and the outcomes from the consultation will inform the final strategy document which is due for publication early in the New Year. This will become the strategic framework for physical activity across the Scottish Executive for the future.

  A Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guideline, Obesity in Scotland: integrating prevention with weight management, published in 1996, is also available. I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29827. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the probability is that fingerprint evidence will be wrong expressed as a proportion of cases in which fingerprint evidence is used.

Dr Richard Simpson: Fingerprint evidence is used successfully in a large number of criminal proceedings every year. Such evidence is rarely found by the court to be unreliable. There is no central record of any such cases. In every case, in which such evidence is used, the defence may seek independent verification of the evidence.

Justice

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether following the comment made by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice at the joint meeting of the Justice 1 and 2 Committees on 18 September 2002 ( Official Report C 225), it now considers fingerprint evidence to be an "art form"; what the implications of such a view are for all the expert evidence brought since fingerprint evidence was brought into existence, and whether the Minister for Justice holds the same view with regard to DNA evidence.

Dr Richard Simpson: Evidence based on fingerprint identification involves the application of well established forensic techniques which are in use throughout the world.

  Assessment of DNA profiles is grounded in established research in genetics and molecular biology and involves statistical analysis and interpretation. It may, therefore, be regarded as a science.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports of offences under sections 68(1), (2), (3) and (5) and 69(1) and (2) of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 were marked no proceedings in respect of each category recognised by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service computer in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02.

Colin Boyd QC: The information requested is not readily available in the format required and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The information systems operated by the department were designed for case tracking rather than for the production of statistical information. Systems currently in development will, in due course, facilitate the provision of data on a wider basis than is presently possible.

Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many criminal convictions quashed by the courts in each of the last five years were for (a) serious and (b) minor offences.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table:

  Convictions Quashed on Appeal by Main Offence of Original Conviction, 1997-2001

  
 Main Offence Group1
1997 1998
1999 2000
2001  Crimes
  Non-sexual crimes of violence
7 2
7 16
6   Crimes of indecency
5 1
5 3
1   Crimes of dishonesty
14 6
15 7
1   Criminal damage
3 2
2 2
0   Other crimes
12 5
14 6
5  Offences
  Miscellaneous offences
25 10
16 6
3   Motor vehicle 
offences 6
6 9
11 8
 All crimes and offences
72 32
68 51
24 

  Note:

  1. For statistical purposes offences are classified as either "crimes" or "offences". "Crimes" generally encompass the more serious criminal acts, though "offences" may also relate to serious breaches of the criminal law.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which voluntary organisations currently fund NHS specialist nurses; how many specialist nurses each organisation funds and what the estimated cost is to each organisation.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS specialist nurses there currently are in each NHS board area, broken down by speciality.

Malcolm Chisholm: The development of specialist nurses is primarily a matter for individual NHS trusts to determine in light of their clinical needs and service developments. Information on the numbers of specialist nurses is not centrally available.

Post Office

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the evaluation of the pilot project "Your Guide".

Ross Finnie: On 24 July 2002, the Department of Trade and Industry published a report of the evaluation of the "Your Guide" pilot. This report is available on the DTI website. The Post Office and postal services are reserved matters. Executive officials remain in contact with both DTI and Post Office officials. No final decision on the future of the "Your Guide" service has been announced by DTI Ministers.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26388 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 July 2002, whether it provided any advice to the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock on drafting (a) the submission by Premier Custodial Group to the Justice 1 Committee of 26 October 2001, (b) the letter sent by Elaine Bailey to the Justice 1 Committee on 20 December 2001, (c) the letter sent by Elaine Bailey to the Justice 1 Committee on 7 May 2002 and (d) the letter sent by Elaine Bailey to the Justice 1 Committee on 17 May 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  SPS gave advice in respect of (a) and (d). No advice was given in respect of the letters referred to in (b) and (c).

Prison Service

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many sniffer dogs are employed by the Scottish Prison Service; where such dogs are based, and how much this service costs.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Twelve dogs are based at Cornton Vale at a current annual cost of about £370,000.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27734 by Mr Jim Wallace on 15 August 2002, whether it will detail all items worth £1,000 or over that comprised part of the fixtures, fittings and equipment of the buildings of former HM Prison Zeist and were removed for reuse by the Scottish Prison Service prior to the buildings’ return to the Netherlands Government.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Security locks totalling £11,000 approximately.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the accounting treatment has been in the Scottish Prison Service annual accounts of the waiver of an obligation on the contractor to secure insurance under paragraph 6.10 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28658 on 23 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer by the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice to my question during the debate on his ministerial statement on prisons on 5 September 2002 ( Official Report , col 13882), which house blocks have been built since 1999; how much each cost; what the timescale was from the decision to build to occupancy for each, and who the main contractors were.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None. New houseblocks are currently under construction at HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont and HM Prison Edinburgh, but are not yet complete. The main contractor for both projects is Skanska Construction UK Ltd.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of providing the services of general practitioners in prisons operated by the Scottish Prison Service was greater than £1.3 million in real terms in 2000-01 or 2001-02.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  As this information could prejudice commercial competitiveness in future negotiations, it is commercially confidential.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of health care records of prisoners held in prisons operated by the Scottish Prison Service contain errors.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Such information is not available.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to answer each of the questions S1W-24120, S1W-24629, S1W-25174 and S1W-25568.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The answers to questions S1W-24120, S1W-24629 and S1W-25174 were not costed. Regarding the answer to question S1W-25568, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28816 on 19 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at::

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its contracts for education services in each prison operated by the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The provision of education service in prison is complex. Some suppliers have contracted for a single site provision. Other contractors operate across a number of sites.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29085 by Mr Jim Wallace on 20 September 2002, what the timescale was from the decision to build another prison to the awarding of the contract to Premier Prison Services Ltd for HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  From the announcement at the Scottish Grand Committee in June 1996 until the contract was awarded in November 1997.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26897 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 July 2002, whether it will provide a table for HM Prison Kilmarnock equivalent to the table given for prisons operated by the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28769 on 2 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Prison Service

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why Prison Statistics Scotland, 2001 does not give statistics on the length of sentences imposed for crimes of indecency and what the average length of sentence imposed was for those convicted of crimes of indecency in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Individual crimes within crime groups such as "crimes of indecency" can vary widely in terms of seriousness and the length of imprisonment consequently imposed. The information on sentence length by crime published in the statistical bulletin Prisons Statistics Scotland, 2001 therefore presents the statistics for more specific crimes rather than aggregate information for crime groups.

  The published information has not given statistics on the average sentence length imposed for crimes with only a small number of receptions each year because individual cases could have had a distorting effect on the figures. Individual crimes of indecency fall into this category. In the light of this parliamentary question, however, the Executive will review this position ahead of the next publication of the statistical bulletins.

  The average sentence lengths imposed for those convicted of specific crimes of indecency in 2000 and 2001 are given in the table.

  Average Length of Sentence Imposed on Offenders Sentenced for Crimes of Indecency by Crime, 2000 and 2001


Number of Receptions1
Average Sentence Length in Years 
Main crime/offence 2000
2001 2000
2001  Rape
25 43
6.21 7.20
 Assault with intent to rape
5 8
3.30 3.82
 Indecent Assault
29 22
2.71 2.40
 Lewd and indecent behaviour
95 119
1.94 2.36
 Other indecency
39 28
3.83 4.14
 All crimes of indecency 
193 220  


  Notes:

  1. The table excludes those who received a life sentence (3 in 2001)"

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why no performance measure in schedule F of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock  relates to the number of fires in the prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  It was not considered necessary or appropriate to have such a performance measure.

Rates

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average rateable value for businesses is, broken down by the smallest sectoral and geographic level available.

Peter Peacock: The following table gives average rateable value in April 2000 by type of subject for each local authority area in Scotland. This is the latest information available to the Executive on rateable values of subjects classified on a consistent sectoral basis, broken down by the smallest sectoral and geographical level available. The footnotes explain the basis of the analysis.

  Average Rateable Value of Subjects1,2 by Local Authority and Type of Subject

  
 Local authority
Average Rateable Value(£) 
Industrial
Commercial Other
 Industrial and 
Freight Transport Oil 
Related and Petro-Chemical Plants
Shops Offices
Hotels, Boarding Houses etc.
Other Commercial
Other3 
Aberdeen City 74,735
.. 25,866
40,512 39,926
27,315 36,433
 Aberdeenshire
53,502 2,302,500
7,348 6,062
20,316 6,299
12,020 
Angus 67,542
.. 8,147
7,741 11,566
8,933 13,070
 Argyll and Bute
7,398 ..
7,376 7,787
6,041 4,223
17,529 
Clackmannan 166,109
.. 10,314
6,688 17,004
9,100 19,856
 Dumfries and Galloway
42,732 ..
9,246 5,194
10,837 4,636
8,571  Dundee
66,801 ..
18,698 19,298
23,783 19,165
37,269 
East Ayrshire 27,312
.. 15,072
8,714 13,109
9,636 18,805
 East Dunbartonshire
18,599 ..
22,471 12,482
23,302 15,989
28,490 
East Lothian 48,032
.. 8,624
11,266 13,579
6,262 14,775
 East Renfrewshire
13,545 ..
16,892 10,300
60,156 11,119
23,289 
Edinburgh 70,366
2,500,000 21,231
51,388 41,831
21,815 36,541
 Eilean Siar
13,457 ..
5,618 6,563
5,551 3,230
8,955  Falkirk
93,829 4,633,333
17,969 14,035
36,077 15,947
23,406 
Fife 70,934
3,060,000 15,013
15,598 16,905
13,064 24,655
 Glasgow
25,439 ..
21,920 24,829
67,029 20,424
40,602 
Highland 34,139
.. 12,002
9,516 6,779
7,718 10,228
 Inverclyde
34,452 ..
16,871 17,449
37,518 15,650
29,204 
Midlothian 48,393
.. 10,725
15,663 20,717
16,397 21,819
 Moray
83,416 ..
8,673 4,633
12,009 4,188
24,048 
North Ayrshire 38,782
.. 11,917
9,751 7,432
11,242 17,142
 North Lanarkshire
39,221 ..
18,578 15,457
58,476 25,270
29,228 
Orkney 8,785
5,100,000 4,867
6,981 4,555
3,481 7,105
 Perth and Kinross
38,728 ..
14,430 18,640
17,594 11,607
14,258 
Renfrewshire 36,414
.. 17,914
17,168 59,082
23,191 29,543
 Scottish Borders
29,535 ..
8,096 6,314
16,675 4,612
8,199  Shetland
20,730 15,000,000
6,114 11,925
7,806 5,402
8,721  South 
Ayrshire 28,314
.. 17,596
13,756 15,750
11,070 23,709
 South Lanarkshire
32,845 ..
23,826 21,426
27,941 16,620
26,399 
Stirling 57,741
.. 24,120
20,074 25,059
10,984 14,222
 West Dunbartonshire
25,562 ..
21,175 16,961
59,504 19,733
31,005 
West Lothian 109,381
.. 15,787
20,607 31,519
20,277 23,077


  Notes:

  1. The analysis is of the rateable value in April 2000 of 188,701 subjects for which rateable value information was collected following the 2000 revaluation.

  2. The analysis excludes telecoms subjects and subjects (mainly utilities such as gas, electricity, water) whose value is determined at local authority level rather than for specific units.

  3. Includes schools, hospitals, docks and harbours, independent generators and waterways.

Rates

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis is for the calculation of rateable values for businesses, broken down by type of business and detailing the reasons for any variation in the basis of the calculation.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28904 on 18 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27511 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 August 2002, what financial or other support it has given to the Society of Chief Officers of Transport in Scotland’s condition survey of the local road network and when it expects the report of the survey to be made publicly available.

Lewis Macdonald: The condition survey of the local road network is being taken forward by the Society of Chief Officers of Transport in Scotland (SCOTS), on behalf of local authorities.

  An official from the Executive's Network Management Division sits as a member of the survey steering group. In addition, the work being carried out in 2002 is being conducted under the terms of the Executive's existing trunk road survey contract. The Executive has not provided specific financial support for the survey, and I understand that a long-term contract from April 2003 will be let by SCOTS.

  The results of the survey, which will operate on a four-year rolling basis, will be reported annually to the Accounts Commission, under the Best Value regime. Detailed results will also be available to each individual council. The timing of the publication of these reports is a matter for SCOTS and the local authorities.

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the comparable levels of expenditure allocated to motorways and trunk roads and the methodology used in the figures provided in the transport section of Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys compared with the figures and methodology used in the Scottish Transport Statistics.

Lewis Macdonald: The figures contained in Building a Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys are budget plans. Those in Scottish Transport Statistics are outturn figures except where the information is not yet available, in which case a forecast outturn is given. The methodology used also differs due to the Resource Accounting treatment of capital charges, depreciation, VAT and receipts.

Sheltered Housing

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what priority it gives to the safety and security of those living in local authority sheltered accommodation.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive considers that the safety and security of residents of all sheltered housing including that provided by local authorities is paramount.

  Since the establishment of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care in April 2002 under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (the Act) local authority care homes including some sheltered housing, i.e. those falling within the definition of a care home in the act, require to be regulated by the Care Commission. Local authority services providing sheltered housing which fall within the definition of a housing support service within the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 will also require to be so regulated.

  One of the key principles underpinning the national care standards published by the Scottish ministers prior to the establishment of the Care Commission, which the Care Commission has to take into account in exercising its regulatory function, is the right of residents to feel safe and secure. It is for the commission in determining whether or not to grant or continue registration to reach a view on whether this principle is being adequately complied with.

Smoking

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27491 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 7 August 2002, which local authorities are taking part in the pilot scheme to catch shopkeepers that sell cigarettes to under-age children.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The four authorities participating in the pilot scheme are City of Edinburgh Council, Moray Council, South Ayrshire Council and Stirling Council.

Water Charges

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has investigated whether the higher fixed charges for business customers with medium- to large-sized water meters has caused any such customers to have smaller meters installed to the detriment of the water supply to fire hydrants on their premises.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The Chief Executive's response is:

  Any request by a customer to downsize their meter is evaluated by local staff as part of the business reviews Scottish Water is carrying out for businesses with medium- or larger-sized meters and any effect on fire hydrants is evaluated. Scottish Water will work with the customer to investigate options and discuss charging arrangements that consider the business supply needs, including for fire fighting purposes. The final decision on meter size required rests with the customer.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether fluorosilicic acid and sodium silicofluoride will be used to fluoridate the water supply if fluoridation goes ahead and what advice it has received from the Committee on Safety of Medicines about those chemicals.

Malcolm Chisholm: The consultation document, Towards Better Oral Health in Children , published on 24 September, seeks views on a range of possible measures to improve children’s oral health, including fluoridation. Questions relating to the implementation of any particular option are not being considered at this stage.

  Section 1 (4) of The Water (Fluoridation) Act 1985 provides that the increase of fluoride in the public water supply may be effected only by the addition of one or more of the following compounds of fluorine: hexafluorosilicic acid; disodium hexafluorosilicate. All products and processes used in the treatment of water are approved at either EU level or by the UK Committee on Products and Processes for Use in the Public Water Supply.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether recommendations from the Greater Glasgow NHS Board’s Report of an Outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis in the area supplied by Milngavie Treatment Works - Loch Katrine Water have now been adequately implemented by all relevant authorities.

Ross Finnie: The relevant authorities have considered the recommendations contained in the Outbreak Control Team report, published by Greater Glasgow NHS Board, into the outbreak of cryptosporidiosis that occurred in the Glasgow area in spring 2000 and, where they have judged it appropriate to do so, they have taken appropriate action.

Young Offenders

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a table showing the number of people under 21 with a charge proved, for whom the disposal of the court was (a) custody in a young offenders institution, (b) detention of a child, (c) an insanity or hospital order, (d) a community service order, (e) probation, (f) a fine, (g) a compensation order, (h) admonition or caution, (i) remit to children’s hearing and (j) an absolute discharge in each of the last five years, broken down by gender and the age groups (i) under-16s and (ii) 16- to 20-year-olds.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following tables. Information for 2001 is not expected to be available until around November this year.

  Males Aged Under 21 with a Charge Proved, by Age and Type of Sentence, 1996-2000

  
 Main disposal1
Year of Sentence 
1996 1997
1998 1999
2000  Aged 
under 16   All sentences
149 137
135 75
54   Custody in 
a YOI 2
2 1
0 1
  Detention of a child
40 29
20 16
11   Insanity or 
hospital order 0
0 0
0 0
  Community service order
8 1
1 0
1   Probation2
18 19
20 11
6   Fine
10 11
19 11
9   Compensation 
order 1
2 0
2 0
  Admonition or caution
22 13
19 13
4   Remit to children’s 
hearing 43
54 52
21 21
  Absolute discharge
0 1
0 0
1   Other sentences3
5 5
3 1
0  Aged 
16-20   All sentences
31,704 31,310
29,311 26,927
24,338   Custody 
in a YOI 4,637
4,425 4,227
4,202 3,981
  Detention of a child
0 0
0 0
0   Insanity or 
hospital order 15
12 15
25 9
  Community service order
2,129 2,005
1,737 1,566
1,512   Probation2
2,650 2,588
2,634 2,696
2,500   Fine
17,708 17,554
16,227 14,248
12,911   Compensation 
order 505
454 482
458 435
  Admonition or caution
3,589 3,741
3,526 3,232
2,623   Remit to 
children’s hearing 125
140 103
106 63
  Absolute discharge
126 109
71 78
71   Other sentences3
220 282
289 316
233 

  Females Aged Under 21 with a Charge Proved, by Age and Type of Sentence, 1996-2000

  
 Main disposal
Year of Sentence 
1996 1997
1998 1999
2000  Aged 
under 16   All sentences
12 11
5 6
9   Custody in 
a YOI 0
0 0
0 0
  Detention of a child
5 0
0 1
0   Insanity or 
hospital order 0
0 0
0 0
  Community service order
0 0
0 0
0   Probation2
0 1
1 0
0   Fine
3 1
0 1
3   Compensation 
order 0
0 0
0 0
  Admonition or caution
1 5
2 1
1   Remit to children’s 
hearing 3
3 2
2 4
  Absolute discharge
0 1
0 1
0   Other sentences3
0 0
0 0
1  Aged 
16-20   All sentences
3,302 3,424
3,361 3,273
3,050   Custody 
in a YOI 105
130 233
281 336
  Detention of a child
0 0
0 0
0   Insanity or 
hospital order 1
3 0
0 3
  Community service order
106 127
108 136
100   Probation2
284 320
373 439
419   Fine
1,827 1,836
1,641 1,469
1,368   Compensation 
order 61
73 66
60 45
  Admonition or caution
850 845
859 824
693   Remit to 
children’s hearing 21
22 19
7 17
  Absolute discharge
22 25
19 21
18   Other sentences3
25 43
43 36
51 

  Notes:

  1. Inaccuracies in the source data on dates of birth of offenders can occasionally result in apparent inconsistencies between age and sentence type, e.g. custody in a Young Offenders Institution or community service for under 16 year olds.

  2. Includes restriction of liberty orders.

  3. Includes cases where no order is made, orders relating to dogs and (in 2000) drug treatment and testing orders.